This course will examine the research of, and different approaches to, applied and socially engaged theatre. Practitioners engaged in forms of applied theatre, such as drama in education, theatre for development, Verbatim theatre, participatory theatre etc. often believe creating and witnessing theatrical events can make a difference to the way people interact with one another and with the world at large. The 'social turn' in theatre is understood politically, artistically, and educationally to be in the service of social change, although there is certainly no single nor consistent ideological position that supports the expansive use of theatre in classrooms and communities. Theatre has been consistently used in formal and informal educational settings as a way to galvanize participation and make learning more relational, or more a student/participant-centred rather than teacher/facilitator- centred proposition. In addition to exploring the educational value of applied theatre in a range of contexts and through a variety of interventions and intentions, the course will also contemplate the ethics and poetics of representation in performance and in research.